Disease Prevention Tips

There are things you can do to prevent the spread of disease. Read below to find out how.

Disease prevention starts with the basics. It requires common sense, patience and paying attention to the advice of medical doctors. This has to be practiced by children and adults so parents need to provide the necessary guidance to their kids. There are practical disease prevention tips that you can easily follow.

Fundamental Guidelines

You have to be careful in handling and eating food. Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water before meals; after using the toilet, handling animals or pet waste, changing diapers, doing cleaning chores, touching garbage, coughing or blowing your nose; and, before or after physical contact with a sick person.

Prevention of disease means that you should wash your hands properly. Unfortunately, this is a very simple practice in hygiene that a lot of people are not aware of. Here are the proper steps in washing your hands:

Rub your hands briskly under clean running water.

Use liquid instead of bar soap which is often infected.

Apply soap all over your hands and scrub mildly the surfaces of your hands for 20 seconds particularly under your fingernails.

Public Education in Disease Prevention

Doctors, government health offices and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have been very aggressive in educating the public about health promotion and disease prevention. As an added precaution, people are given the following pointers:

Never kiss other people on the lips unless you are spouses.

Keep your wounds covered until these have been fully healed.

Refrain from sharing food, drinks, glasses, utensils and makeup.

Make use of toilet paper or toilet seat cover or do not sit down on the lavatory seat at all.

Avoid placing your bag, briefcase, wallet or purse near the toilet or on top of the food counter or table. Personal belongings are the best carriers of germs.

Contagious Diseases

Contagious diseases are very dangerous. A person with communicable disease has the capability to transmit diseases directly or indirectly. The time when an infected person is infectious or transmits a virus depends on the age and health of that individual. Adults may be able to infect others two days before symptoms appear. It is also possible that this will be four or five days after first being exposed to the virus. Children or people with weak immune systems can convey the virus for more than a week after symptoms come out.

The best way to safeguard yourself and members of your family against germs is to wash your hands often using warm water and soap. It is said to be the most effective way in prevention of contagious diseases. At the same time, refrain from touching you eyes, mouth and nose to minimize the dispersal of microorganisms. Make it a point to cover your mouth when you sneeze or cough. Stay at home whenever you are sick to prevent the spread of your sickness.